Here's end of the year RING annual ratings at 160lb in 1989 Title Vacant Michael Nunn Sumbu Kalambay Mike McCallum Roberto Duran Iran Barkley Michael Watson Herol Graham Steve Collins Nigel Benn Julian Jackson What an incredible top 10 list, surely one of the toughest eras in middleweight history How come Hearns missed out on so many big names? How does Hearns do vs the field? Excluding Duran and Barkley
well it wasn't his best weight as we know, McCallum probably takes him out, gets inside bangs him to the body and hooks , Nunn might outpoint him .. he would probably go 6-2 or 5-3
Here's how I see middle weight Hearns doing against mentioned. Nunn wins unanimous DEC Hearns. Hearns wins unanimous decision over Kalambay. McCallum wko 11 Hearns Hearns wins 12 round ko Watson. Hearns wins split decision Graham. Hearns wins s split decision over Collins. Hearns wins by 6round ko over Benn but Benn scores 2 kds . Hearns loses by 4 th round ko to Jackson in a thriller where Julian is on the edge of being stopped, he drop's Tommy with a desperate punch from the ground .
If Hearns could still make middle without draining himself at this stage then he had a chance against all of them except McCallum. Hearns body when he fought Leonard wasn`t even as vim or cut as when he fought Andries at light heavy two years prior! He lost a lot of his hand speed, Nunn was a lot quicker than Hearns at this stage but didn`t land enough against Barkley and it would be the same with Hearns, Michael also struggled with Starling so I feel Hearns had a great shot in this one and may of knocked out Nunn using his pawing jab followed by his vicious right hand, having said that at middle Starling probably would of beat Hearns at this stage, Tommy even struggled with Kitchen the year before.
Kalambay would outbox Hearns at middle in `89. Tommy still had a better jab than Watson, I feel Michael`s high guard could help him though. The Graham fight would be close. Collins hadn`t done anything up to this point so I feel Hearns reach would be too much because Collins had really short arms. With Benn it`s whoever landed first but Benn`s hand speed was good and he might of rushed in like the Barkley fight, if he let Hearns get his jab working, Tommy wins and the longer it went the more it would fit Hearns Benn had dreadful stamina at middle and would punch himself out. Jackson v Tommy whoever lands first, I feel it would have gone a lot like the first McClellan v Jackson bout but the difference would be that Hearns couldn`t take the shots that Gerald did.
I Hearns has a better chance to beat McCallum than Nunn. I think Nunn is trouble, Mike? I think Mike was slower than Hearns, and it matters if Hearns uses his jab.. Let me look at that list. Kalambay? He would beat by decision if he boxed. Not many guys could beat Kalambay. Not a bad list of middleweights then Duran? I think he beats Duran in the rematch in about 6 rounds.
It's not bad but it got a lot better, though. Two years on it had Toney, McLellan, Hopkins and RJJ. Early to mid 90s, the middleweights were a real 'murderers' row'. The late 80s had the fighters who established these guys' reputations.
